Set in 1776, Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson tells the story of the British invasion of New York from the perspective of a young girl who has been enslaved. Isabel struggles to make her way in a household with cruel owners and wants only to find freedom with her younger disabled sister. At times she joins… Read more
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Last Sunday Pastor Ann Berney at Puyallup United Methodist Church asked the children what biblical story they liked best. Most of them chose stories like Noah’s Ark or Jonah and the Whale — stories that pull many children in. Sitting in the pew in my favorite spot by the stained glass, I asked myself what… Read more
When I was young, I thought writer’s cramp was a joke much like I thought older people always exaggerated their woes. I thought people were talking about the mental inability to write – more like writer’s block. Or freezing up. My right arm first starting telling me this was not a joke and not a… Read more
At least 10 years ago, I read Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver. I think it was in this story that I first learned of the American Chestnut and how the trees had vanished from a blight about 50 years ago. I remember the deep sadness I felt for that loss. Towering trees that had filled… Read more
Every now and then I’ll find a great book in a quick moment. My discovery feels like spotting a nugget of genuine gold in a stream full of fool’s gold. I was at the library when I spotted my latest book while returning books, paying my usual fines and supervising my three year old in… Read more
This past weekend I helped my sister move into a much better home in hot dry Eastern Washington. The current heat wave on the west side of the mountains feels like an everyday hot in the Tri- Cities. The temperature routinely climbs to 90+ degrees and, even though it is dry, the air hits me… Read more
I know I once saw Ivan the gorilla at the B&I shopping mall on South Tacoma Way. My mother used to love to shop for art supplies at the sister store near that funky little mall and we went inside the bigger mall for relief after what seemed like hours of tedious waiting on mom’s… Read more
“Look!” I said when my contributor’s copies of the Alive Now Creativity issue landed in my mailbox. “I’m in the same book as Madeleine L’Engle!” My husband looked at me and said, “Who’s that?” A few hours later my son said, “Uh, I don’t know what that is, but I’m guessing it’s a famous author.”… Read more